John Cleese on Creativity

“Telling people how to be creative is easy – being creative is difficult.” – John Marwood Cleese

With his quick wit and satirical outlook on life, John Cleese gives a talk on, not how to be creative or make yourself more creative, but how to create an environment in which you’re more likely to be creative.

Cleese uses examples from architecture, design and business environments, as well as anecdotes from his own personal experience on how people can get into “the open mode” and thus increase the chances of creativity occurring.

With Yes Minister writer Antony Jay, Cleese co-founded Video Arts, a production company making entertaining training films. It was founded in 1972 by John Cleese, Sir Antony Jay, and a group of other television professionals. The videos feature well known British actors, and humorously explain business concepts. Productions include Meetings, Bloody Meetings and More Bloody Meetings, and have featured Cleese, Dawn French, Prunella Scales, Hugh Laurie, and Robert Hardy.